His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, officially opened the first Canadian-led accelerator in India Friday, a joint venture between the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute Ltd., Ryerson University, Ryerson Futures Inc. and Simon Fraser University. BIL-Ryerson DMZ India, located at the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute in Mumbai, will help entrepreneurs fast-track their startups and connect with mentors, customers and investors.

“The very first Ryerson international fellowships for brilliant young entrepreneurs were announced here in India in 2011,” said Sheldon Levy, president of Ryerson University. “We are honoured to welcome the Governor General of Canada to the BIL-Ryerson DMZ India, and proud to grow our partnership with India and our colleagues from Simon Fraser University in the service of the global economy.”

BIL-Ryerson DMZ India is modeled on the Digital Media Zone at Ryerson University, which has already incubated and accelerated 126 startups and fostered nearly 1,000 jobs in less than four years.